Aurora Borealis

Chapter 44 - Moonlight Fireflies

>> • WENDY • <<

"How are you doing these past few days?"

His jet-black eyes turned to me by the time we walked past a streetlight. Napahinto ang pagpasada ng hawak ng hawak niyang patpat sa bawat bakal na nadaraanan namin.

"Do you miss me?"

"I hate to admit it... but yeah." I grabbed his arm as I propped it on my shoulder. He doesn't talk much and I think he has a lot of going on inside his head.

Evening walks aren't really my thing. Mosquitoes are always pestering me. Not to mention the loud honking of the buses, the odor of cigarette butts being thrown away on the sidewalks by drivers and passersby, and the fact that a lot of stray dogs could jump at me at any moment.

"West."

"Hmm?"

"You stink."

"That's mean, you know? All I've done earlier is scrub myself with loofah mitts. I'm also thinking of using steel wool to remove dirt, but I removed it from the options upon seeing its scruffiness." pahayag niya.

"Hey, would you like to go watch a horror movie?" tanong ko pa.

"I don't like horror movies. Aabutin pa ng ilang araw bago ko makalimutan yung kung ano mang mga katatakutan na makikita ko ro'n. It would give me a hard time going to the restroom at mignight or when I'm trying to roll over the other side of the bed."

"Don't be such a scaredy cat. It's just movies."

"Yeah, not until the rolling ending credits says 'based on a true story'." katwiran niya. "I'd rather bingewatch documentaries- AAAAHHH!"

Napatingin naman sa 'min ang mga nakasalubong namin kaya agad ko siyang hinatak sa isang sulok.

"What happened to you? Trying to hit some high notes?" tanong ko.

"Something fell off on my head earlier!" his eyes widened as he shook both of my shoulders.

"That might be some birds dumping dirt on you because you dump dirt on others' interests." saad ko at nagpatuloy sa paglalakad. Napalingon ako pabalik sa kaniya na hindi pa rin umaalis sa kinatatayuan niya.

"What now?" binalikan ko siya na abala sa paghahanap ng kung ano. He even went near a tree by the sidewalk at kinapkapan ito na parang nasa checkpoint ito.

His face lit up, "Found it!"

He showed me his extended hand with a bird nest on it. There are two baby birds in it and one is at least bigger from the other.

"The wind must've blown it too strong for it to went over my head." aniya at tumingin sa mga sanga.

"Thanks for stating the obvious." saad ko. "Ibalik mo na 'yan sa sanga. Baka balikan 'yan ng inahin."

"I want to keep it. I might train them into racers. Soon, they'll be regarded as birds with big names despite their small build." aniya at itinago sa kaniyang likuran ang pugad.

"For Pete's sake, West. Ngayon ka lang ba nakakita ng inakay? Return it on the branch or else I'll do it."

Napakamot na lamang siya ng ulo at umakyat sa sanga upang ilagay ang pugad doon.

"If you want racers, you could've gotten a pigeon or something. But sparrows, really?"

"Having a pigeon isn't really special. Almost everyone on the neighborhood owns one and the only difference it would make depends on the breed that will win." paliwanag niya. "Enter a sparrow in a pigeon race and once it wins, it would destroy the pride of other contenders."

I thought I'll be able to tolerate his weirdness if it goes out for awhile, but it looks like I'm wrong. Sa katunayan, mas interesado pa 'kong malaman ang sikreto kung pa'no nagagawa nina Claudia na makatiis na kasama si West araw-araw.

"Hindi ko alam kung anong pinaglalaban mo, but nevermind."

"I had a pigeon once that Storm bought me, and I try to free it on the cage to see if it comes back. It did, sa bird shop nga lang." he shoved his hands on his pockets. "How did I know? Storm told me he'll buy me another one from the same shop, and when we're there, I saw a pigeon wearing the ring that I placed on it's left claw."

It was better when he's silent, but I'll let him be. Doon na lang ako sa kung saan siya masaya.

Dazed, he glimpsed on the moon above us. The moon tonight wasn't really special in particular, but it's moonlight shining brighter than the previous nights make me remember a certain memory.

"Dy..."

"What?"

"Mukha siguro tayong tanga mula sa point of view ng buwan noong akala natin eh sinusundan niya tayo kapag naglalakad o tumatakbo tayo pabalik." nakangising saad niya at naupo sa may waiting shed.

"Silly. Why would it be?"

"Pfft. Hahaha..." he held his tummy while hitting his knees. "You're the one who said those years ago, I'm just trying to mimic you- aww!"

"I'm surprised you can remember what I said years ago and not our second monthsary." I glared at him while rubbing my fists after I hit him. Now it takes me back to all the stupid things that I used to tell him before. A sudden urge of digging up a hole in the ground and burying myself in it went over me from the thought that maybe he remembers everything I said.

That's obvious, Wendy. If he memorized an entry in my old diary, it wouldn't be completely impossible for him to retain all his memories about what I did in the past.

Natigilan ako sa pagmumuni-muni nang bigla niya akong hatakin papalapit sa kaniya kasabay ng pagkulong sa 'kin sa kaniyang mga bisig.

"I don't forget, Dy. Why do you think I'm too eager to talk with the lawyer to get me out of prison after being blamed of something I didn't do?"

Bigla na lamang siyang humiwalay sa yakap. Then, his hand reached out by my neck and showed me a ring pendant that's now hung on my neck.

"Remember when we ran away from your house because I wanted us to catch some fireflies on our backyard? The moon is as bright as that night." he grinned as he scratched the back of his head, "And catching fireflies is my excuse to be with you that time."

"Maybe you need to take another bath. Kanina ka pa kamot ng kamot." saad ko.

"Way to ruin the mood, Dy-" I didn't let him finish as I pulled him closer to me and silenced him as I brushed my lips on his.

My arms wrapped on his neck as he gaped his mouth open to let a breath of air in and then sealed it again on my lips.

"Mama, tingnan mo may naghahalikan oh."

"Naku! Wag mong tingnan 'yang mga yan, mga kabataan nga naman ngayon."

Bigla ko na lamang naitulak si West nang marinig ko yung boses ng bata. Pilit kong iniwas ang tingin ko hanggang sa makalagpas na ang mag-inang dumadaan.

"You're being rough, biting my lower lip like that." saad ni West habang pinupunasan ang kaniyang labi.

"I'm sorry, nabigla lang ako ro'n sa bata." wika ko at sinipat ang labi niya nang walang anu-ano'y ninakawan niya ako ng halik.

"Wha-"

"That's pay back for not letting me finish earlier." muli siyang ngumisi at inilabas ang kaparehong kuwintas na nakakabit sa kaniyang leeg. "Happy monthsary."